Associates

Dr Luke Ward (he/they)

I am an accredited counsellor with over 7 years of experience working with young people, adolescents, and their families. I have experience with a range of presenting difficulties and extensive specialist knowledge in the areas of developmental trauma and LGBTQIA+ communities.

I am integratively trained meaning that I draw upon skills from different therapeutic approaches and can tailor my way of working to your needs.

I am committed to trans-inclusive and trauma-informed ways of working and I have delivered therapeutic training for counselling services and schools on “Working with Diversity” and “Supporting LGBTQ+ Students”.

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Qualifications

• PhD in Psychology - University of Stirling (2021)
• MSc Counselling Children and Young People - University of Northampton (2017)
• BA(Hons) Psychology with Philosophy - University of Northampton (2012)
• BACP Accredited Member
• Mental Health First Aider (2021)
• Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy Level 1 (2022)

Experience

I have several years of experience at a specialist trauma psychotherapy service with young people and families and have previously been a youth leader at an LGBTQIA+ youth group. I have attended multiple trainings including developmental trauma for professionals, trans and non-binary awareness, therapeutic life story work, art therapy, and working with neurodiversity.

Outside of my therapeutic work, I am a research-active psychology lecturer, have led several funded research projects focusing on trans health, and have published multiple peer-reviewed journal articles. I have won awards for “Advancing Equality and Diversity” and “Early Career Researcher”. See my full research profile: https://pure.northampton.ac.uk/en/persons/luke-ward

Publications

• Cronesberry, K., & Ward, L. (2024). Exploring gender diverse young adults’ gender identity development in online LGBTQIA+ communities. International Journal of Transgender Health, 1-13. Article 1. View
• Ward, L., Pipkin, A., Frary, G., & Kempinska, C. (2024). “Rediscovering what I need to do to give myself pleasure”. Trans women’s experiences of their sexualities during gender transition: An interpretative phenomenological analysis. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity. View
• Pipkin, A., Ward, L., Cotton, S., & Shearn, C. (2023). The experience of navigating sexuality in transgender people: A meta-ethnographic review. International Journal of Transgender Health. View
• Ward, L., & Lucas, S. (2023). “You’re trying to put yourself in boxes, which doesn’t work”: Exploring non-binary youth’s gender identity development using feminist relational discourse analysis. Journal of Gender Studies. View
• Ward, L. (2021). Young people's experiences of non-binary genders. Psychology of Sexualities Review, 12(2), 35-48. Request access

Clare Hughes (she/her)

I am a fully qualified psychodynamic psychotherapist, and have been working therapeutically in education and private practice for several years. Working psychodynamically means that we will work together to think about the issues you are facing now or have gone through in the past, to help you make sense of them and to process painful or difficult feelings. The aim is to get to the root of things to make long-lasting change. You might be unsure about what you are feeling or what you need to think about. You might feel stuck and the work may be challenging at times. I will work with and alongside you to explore and unravel complicated thoughts and feelings in a secure, safe and confidential space.

I seek to be anti-racist, being aware of privilege and unconscious bias, and I welcome people of all gender identities, relationship and sexual orientations.

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Training & Qualifications

I trained on the Master's Programme in Psychodynamic Practice at Oxford University, an in-depth and rigorous personal, theoretical and clinical training. I am a member of the UKCP and an individual practitioner member of BACP. I follow their code of ethics.

• PGCert Psychodynamic Practice, Oxford University (distinction)
• PGDip Psychodynamic Practice, Oxford University (distinction)
• Mst in Psychodynamic Practice, Oxford University

Research

I have conducted research in the area of traumatic loss and grief. Engaging in qualitative academic research has given me the opportunity to explore ways of working and understanding our own experiences and also wider societal influences. My clinical practice is a growing developing work, enhanced through my own learning, continuing professional development and supervision.

Aaron Marshall (he/him)

I am a trainee Psychodynamic Psychotherapist working predominantly with children and young people, but I can work with adults too. I have professionally worked with children and young people in school settings, and adults in mental health settings and have worked closely with asylum seekers. I have worked with a range of different difficulties such as personality disorders, eating disorders, childhood trauma and identity struggles.

I am training as a Psychodynamic Psychotherapist. This means that I work with the unconscious and conscious. Exploring childhood experiences together is a part of the work that is involved.

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Qualifications

• BACP student member
• BA (Hons) Psychology with Counselling – Open University (2021)
• MA in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy and Counselling – University of Essex (Current)

Experience

• My first venture in this area of work started at a children’s nursery working closely with the children. I was fascinated by the different dynamics that were at play in the nursery as an organisation, the children and their families, and each staff member’s lives. I was also interested in learning more about the different disorders some of the children had and how they experienced things differently from others. This set me on course to start my first degree and move professionally in a different direction.
• I worked as a Youth Worker and worked closely with adolescents struggling with inner difficulties. Hearing about their childhood traumas and experiences helped me see how they impact the person significantly later in life.
• I worked at a mental health hospital and started at a women’s personality disorder ward. Here I learnt more about the individual’s anxieties and how they manifested into something more severe. I worked closely with patients who would speak of their own experiences and traumas as children which helped me solidify what modality I wanted to work with. Once I completed my first degree, I applied to study Psychodynamic Psychotherapy which takes the approach of Psychoanalysis. I felt that this modality suited me personally because of all the professional experiences I have had so far.

Availability

I am currently only available on Mondays and Thursdays from 16:00 to 19:00. However, contact me if a different time and/or day is required, and we can see if there is anything I can do to accommodate your needs.